


could end in burning flames

by writerlily



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Game of Thrones, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4619454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlily/pseuds/writerlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Barry's dreams, he and his new bride had been smiling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	could end in burning flames

**Author's Note:**

> this comes from binge watching both the flash and game of thrones at the same time! tv overload. anyway, hope you guys like it and feel free to leave a kudos, or a comment for feedback at the end :)

His wedding night is filled with loud songs, dancing, tables laden with food, and laughter. The last of which is not being heard from the happy couple themselves. No, Barry and Caitlin sit stiffly next to each other. The tension between them is palpable and has those closest to them giving them nervous smiles. In Barry's dreams, he and his new bride had been smiling. But Caitlin has yet to even look at him since taking her seat.

The ceremony seems to drag on for hours with the night never ending, until a loud voice calls that it is time for the bedding. If Barry didn’t feel miserable before, he absolutely does now. And judging by the way Caitlin’s cheeks are almost as red as his house colors, she’s just as mortified by the event. Barry spares them both the further humiliation and stands up, declaring that there will be no official bedding. He offers his hand to Caitlin despite the loud sounds of disapproval. She chews the corner of her lip before looking up at him through her thick eyelashes. She takes his hand and she gives him a grateful look as he leads her away from the dining hall. He sees his parents standing across the room. His mother is idly playing with the pendant of her necklace as she and his father give him encouraging smiles.

Barry wishes the ground would swallow him whole.

The whole point of his marriage to Caitlin is to finally unite the two great houses of Westeros. The north and the south have been butting heads for as long as anybody can remember-- fighting for power and the iron throne. And what better way of securing the throne and putting an end to the bloodshed by marrying the eldest son and daughter of the two great houses? It was an arrangement that was conceived before Barry or Caitlin even exited their mother’s wombs. 

Barry thinks it ridiculous that he is to call Caitlin his wife before he can even say that she is his friend. There is a gap between them that stretches farther than the distance between the north and south. 

The walk to their chambers is silent and that small bout of peace between the two seems to have dissipated for Caitlin drops her hand from his and moves a couple inches away from him. Their literal distance is off putting and has Barry clenching his fists tightly. Their footsteps echo loudly against the stone floors of the dark castle and Barry wishes he was in the south, in his own home. He misses the light brown castle with its red sigil and the sun that never seems to set. He thinks he’s even a few shades lighter than when he first arrived.

They reach their chambers and from the corner of his eye, Barry can see the trepidation clearly on Caitlin’s face. He frowns, but doesn’t say anything as he moves to open the heavy door. He steps in after her and swallows at the sight of the room. The fire is already lit, making the room glow a hazy orange. The bed is made perfectly with thick expensive furs thrown on top. Caitlin steps forward and he stares at the expanse of her back, covered in the white lace of her wedding dress.

He walks over to the small wooden table by the window to pour himself a glass of mead, swallowing a large gulp. He sets his glass down a bit harshly and sees Caitlin slightly startle. He turns to look at her. She looks as wide eyed as a scared dear and he’s crossing the line between being angry and sympathetic. She has no reason to be afraid of him and that’s another upsetting thought on its own at what it implies. 

“I’ll sleep here,” he says as he settles himself into the small seat by the wall, his jaw twitching when Caitlin remains silent. “Take the bed.”

She twiddles her long pale fingers as she chews on the corner of her lip. His eyes are immediately drawn to the small movement. She always does that unconsciously when she’s thinking particularly hard about something. It’s a quirk of hers that he’s seen her do numerous times while he’s been here. “I thought--,” Her voice falters but Barry already knows what she was going to say.

“Come. Sit,” he says and nods to the chair across from him. He leans over to pour her a drink as she carefully settles herself into the chair. Her wedding gown is puffed around her and if he and Caitlin were on more familiar terms he would tell her that she looks like a snowflake. She mumbles a soft thank you when he hands her the glass. 

She makes a face when she takes a sip. “That’s awful.”

“It gets the job done,” he says and pours himself another glass. He looks at her from the rim of his cup. She’s gone back to chewing the corner of her pink lip, with her brows furrowed. Her hair, that was so perfectly done at the beginning of the night, is slightly coming undone. Small hairs escape the intricate braids that are twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. Barry has only seen the princess with her hair down once. She had looked beautiful, even he could admit that.

“I was told that we would be... consummating our marriage tonight,” she says slowly with her eyes flicking over to the untouched bed on the other side of the room. He almost says something about how blunt her words are. He didn’t think she would actually approach the elephant in the room.

“And what do you think of that?” He asks her as he brings a hand up to crack his knuckles. The sound of his bones cracking seems to bother her, so he settles for leaving his hand in his lap.

“I think we are bound by duty,” she says in a tone that lets him know she has memorized those words. She has practiced saying them to him this night. That bothers him.

His eyes catch hers. “And what of love?”

There’s a slight upturn of her lips. “That is wishful thinking.”

Their wedding ceremony had taken place in the godswood in front of their family and subjects. Snow was falling lightly over them and he remembers the way tiny snowflakes clung to Caitlin’s eyelashes. They had spoken their vows to each other without a hint of love. He looks off into the fire with something weighing heavily on his chest. They spend a few minutes in a silence that doesn’t feel as horribly tense or awkward as it did earlier. He figures that the alcohol and that being away from the prying eyes of their kingdom can let them relax. Even if it’s just for a small amount of time.

His own parents had an arranged marriage. They were younger than Barry and Caitlin when his parents were married off. His mother told him that things were hard at first, as it is with all arranged marriages But they were lucky and found love. He thinks of the small smile that was on his mother’s face as she said those words and looked towards her husband in the distance. He didn’t understand it at the time and he fears he never will. He wonders if he’ll ever be looked at that way.

“It doesn’t always have to be like this,” he says quietly, breaking the silence. There’s a compromise in his words. Love doesn’t have to be their end goal, even though a small part of him wants it. He turns back to Caitlin to find her watching him intently. He hesitantly reaches over and before he can change his mind he takes her hand in his. “I am willing to try... so long as you are.”

Now it’s her turn to think it over and she does so while they hold hands. He thought she would have pulled away by now, but the fact that she has left her hand in his offers him the slightest glimmer of hope. He unabashedly lets his eyes roam over her entire appearance. He didn’t appreciate it as much as he did when he first saw her in her wedding garments. He was too preoccupied with how he was feeling and the itchiness of his own breeches. But Barry likes her this way-- with her slightly messy hair and wrinkled dress. He wonders how much time was spent to prepare her for tonight. It had been simple for him to just slip into his own expensive wedding clothes and comb his hair over with some water. Maybe he should tell her that she looks beautiful. She might even appreciate it and she might actually smile at him tonight. 

He opens his mouth, but is promptly cut off by a sharp nod of her head, which is quite possibly better than a smile from her right now. She squeezes his hand tightly. “I-- I am willing to try as well.”


End file.
